COP30 Partners Urge Major Scale-Up in Funding to Meet Great Green Wall Goals

The appeal comes amid concerns that progress, while notable, remains far short of the investment needed to restore degraded land and build climate resilience across the Sahel.

At the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, global development partners—including the African Development Bank (AfDB)—renewed calls for a massive scale-up in financing to help Africa meet the Great Green Wall (GGW) 2030 objectives. The appeal comes amid concerns that progress, while notable, remains far short of the investment needed to restore degraded land and build climate resilience across the Sahel.

The African Union–led initiative spans 11 countries, from Senegal to Djibouti, and targets:

• 100 million hectares of restored degraded land

• 250 million tonnes of carbon sequestered

• 10 million jobs created across the region

But current funding levels, including past pledges, remain insufficient to close the existing financing gap.

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Current Funding Support Still Too Limited

Ibrahim Sow, special advisor to the Senegalese president on environmental issues, underscored the shortfall:

“Despite the support of many countries and institutions, including multilateral development banks such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank, we are still far from meeting the financing needs of the Great Green Wall.”

Sow moderated COP30’s session “Scaling up finance for the Great Green Wall: from climate ambition to integrated action for Land, Nature and People,” hosted by:

• Pan-African Agency for the Great Green Wall (PAAGGW)

• African Development Bank Group

• World Food Programme (WFP)

Discussions centered on how to mobilise large-scale, innovative financing, including private-sector capital, blended finance instruments, and new international climate facilities.

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Past Pledges and Progress Since the Initiative’s Launch

At the One Planet Summit (Paris, 2021), development partners pledged €19 billion toward the Great Green Wall. The African Development Bank alone committed $6.5 billion through its ongoing programs.

Fifteen years after inception, progress is tangible:

• Millions of hectares restored

• Thousands of green jobs created

• Improved water management and community resilience in several Sahel countries

However, as former Niger Environment Minister Mr. Garba noted, gaps in finance, capacity, and coordination remain major obstacles:

“To achieve its goals by 2030, enhanced collaboration between African governments, development partners and the private sector is essential.”

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Unlocking New Funding Sources and Strengthening Governance

Sékou Koné, technical advisor to the Malian Ministry of Environment, stressed the importance of:

• Strengthened political will

• A legal framework encouraging private investment

• A more attractive economic environment

He highlighted the potential of the new Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) launched by Brazil during COP30, with 74 countries expressing interest—an example of growing South-South cooperation.

Participants agreed that PAAGGW must enhance:

• Institutional capacity

• Human resources

• Coordination across ministries and partners

• Ability to directly access climate finance

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African Development Bank: Strong Support and New Financing Avenues

AfDB’s Manager for Climate and Green Growth, Al-Hamndou Dorsouma, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment:

“The Agency should develop a pipeline of bankable projects in land restoration and climate adaptation, mobilising innovative financing such as blended finance, carbon markets, green bonds and climate funds.”

He pointed to the Climate Action Window under ADF-16 (2023), which mobilised over $450 million and financed 41 projects worth $322 million in its first year—many benefiting GGW countries.

Dorsouma also called for enhanced coordination among partners to avoid duplication and ensure impact.

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Community-Centered Implementation is Critical

Participants stressed that long-term success depends on:

• Deep involvement of local communities

• Empowerment of local authorities

• Strengthening national institutions to enable direct climate finance access

• Ensuring benefits translate into jobs, livelihoods, and resilient ecosystems

Without these local-level foundations, large-scale landscape restoration efforts risk falling short of their development and climate targets.

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A Decisive Moment for the Great Green Wall

With just five years until 2030, COP30 has brought renewed urgency to the global financing gap that continues to constrain the Great Green Wall. Development partners agree: a far larger mobilization of resources—public, private, and innovative—is essential to transform the Sahel into a climate-resilient economic belt and one of the world’s largest ecological restoration success stories.